Remedial Offshore Picks GE Engines to Power 1st-Ever ESVs

Remedial Offshore announces the purchase of V228 medium]speed diesel engines from GE Marine, Erie, Pa. The engines will be used to power the new Remedial Offshore Elevating Support Vessels (ESVs).

As the world's first self]propelled, 325]foot/100]meter nominal water depth]rated jack]up well intervention vessel, Remedial Offhore's ESV design provides a hybrid between a jack]up drilling rig and a marine vessel. The new ESV concept offers tremendous versatility and operational functionality, ranging from an incorporated electric well workover package to a large open deck for offshore support functions. Each vessel is uniquely outfitted to provide a stable work environment for deploying today's most advanced well intervention or production enhancement technologies. ESV abilities include well workovers, sidetracking, well abandonment, facility upgrades, brownfield rejuvenation projects and small field developments, as well as providing complete services for well intervention.

Each ESV will employ four GE diesels ]] one 8]cylinder V228 and three 16]cylinder engines. Two Remedial Offshore ESVs are under construction in China, one at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard Ltd. in Shandong, and the second at the COSCO Shipyard Group's facility in Nantong. GE has already delivered to the shipyards two 8V228 and six 16V228 engines, manufactured at the company's Grove City, Pa. facility.

"When we set out to find the best fit for the ESV power generation needs, we considered several key points to be critical to our operation. Therefore, the engine manufacturer selected absolutely had to satisfy these requirements, and that's why we chose GE's reliable engines to meet our needs," said Remedial Offshore Chief Executive Officer Rich Altman.

The GE engines meet Remedial Offshore's design and operational criteria, such as the ability to have sufficient power available with a minimal number of engines in the existing space, while ensuring adequate redundancy. With over 15,000 engines operating worldwide, working in some of the most challenging environments, GE's engines offered specific maintenance advantages for ESV operations, where an engine might run for extended periods of time under little or no load. In addition, Remedial Offshore will have access to GE's worldwide parts and service supply network. Finally, each ESV will benefit from the engines' fuel]efficiency and performance that carries U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier II emissions compliance certification.

Altman added, "We knew this would not be an easy task to fulfill and stay within a reasonable budget. We are extremely satisfied with having made this decision and we look forward to future opportunities and joint cooperation with GE. We will definitely draw on our relationship to refine performance and address any future operating environmental regulations that come our way."
"We are delighted to work with Remedial Offshore to provide engines for this novel application," said John Manison, manager of GE Marine, Erie. "We are confident that, coupled with our outstanding service and support network, our engines will reliably meet the operating requirements for this new] generation vessel."

Remedial Offshore's ESV technology provides stable offshore work platforms specifically designed and purpose]built to support remedial oil and gas activities and applications. The Remedial Offshore ESV concept is fully compatible with advanced well intervention technologies and facilitates mature field rejuvenation.